


A Last Favor

by RedPandaDragon



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age Origins
Genre: Dark Ritual Conversation, F/M, King Alistair, The Dark Ritual, dr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 20:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16899711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPandaDragon/pseuds/RedPandaDragon
Summary: Ilyana Surana explains the Dark Ritual to the newly king, Alistair Theirin.





	A Last Favor

 

The soft sound pacing footsteps alerted Alistair there was someone outside his chamber. With a swift gesture he swung open the door assuming it was a servant attending on the future King of Ferelden. His eyes widened in surprise at the small raven haired elfmage distraught and scowling. The sight of her was almost too much to endure, he wanted to wrap her small frame into his arms, smell her hair, hold her and have her, but he knew that would never again be something she would allow him to do. 

 

“What do you want, Ilyana? Go over battle plans again?” he asked, clearing his throat from the unexpected growl and roughness. The rising moonlight shone through the window bouncing off her skin noticing the beads of sweat on her brow from what he guessed was stress.

 

“May I come in? I need to speak with you.” She looked up at him, her violet eyes wide and puffy from tears. He swallowed hard, he knew why she was there, one last night. He knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse her, not tonight, he promised himself tomorrow they could be strangers again. 

 

Before Alistair could open his mouth to answer she ducked under his arm barring the doorway, he rolled his eyes sighing forcefully as he slammed the door shut behind him. 

 

“Only tonight, Yana, we can’t…” he began. 

 

“Not with me,” Ilyana erupted. Her volume startled the young king, unprepared for her answer. 

 

“What?” Alistair who’d extended his hand in her direction recoiled in a swift jerk as if he’d accidentally touched a stove glowing red with heat. Ilyana sighed in response, her shoulders dropped as her hands fell limp at her side. 

 

“I need you to do something you will hate, and will hate me for, to save your life,” she whispered, her voice dry and cracked. Alistair watched her carefully, this wasn’t an Ilyana he’d met before.

 

“You already forced me to become king, what else do you need from me?” he asked, his brows knit together low and tight, matching the drop in pitch in his voice. 

 

“I already know how you feel about that decision, and I’m sorry, I already apologized a thousand times.” Her tone grew louder, “but Morrigan told me something I can’t keep from you, though I want to. The very thought has me…” tears welled up in her violet eyes. He watched as she struggled, paralyzed with the desire to comfort her and the dread of whatever she was attempting to relate. 

 

“Okay then, please tell me what has you so troubled.” His own coldness surprised him causing the lonely ache in his heart to grow. 

 

“There’s a ritual, that you must perform tonight with Morrigan that would ensure that the Grey Warden who slays the Archdemon survives the fight.” she said the words plainly in the vain attempt to create distance. Watching her struggle was becoming too much to bare, he would do anything for her, if she would ask. He hoped she would ask for him to take her back. All of the reasons for separating were becoming increasingly less important. 

 

“So you want me to drink something gross, say some words with lit candles while Morrigan dances in the moonlight?” he asked with a joke, his smirk widened into a crooked grin. He was reminded how he loved her humor.

 

A laugh escaped Ilyana, surprising her, which she quickly swallowed away by shaking her head and balling her hands into fists.

 

“I wish it were that easy,” A moment she hesitated, bracing herself. “You must lay with her, impregnate her so the soul of the defeated Archdemon has somewhere to go that isn’t you or me.” 

 

He couldn’t have actually heard her correctly. He began to laugh. 

 

“You’re joking, right? Yana, what a terrible sense of humor you have, you’re just mad because-“

 

“No, Alistair. I’m not joking. This is the only chance we have to survive this if Riordan fails.” Ilyana looked at the stone floor. Alistair searched for her eyes but she continued to duck his gaze.

 

“This is madness. You can’t be seriously asking me to sleep with Morrigan. I know us separating has been hard, but you don’t need to be cruel.” The growing edge in his voice continued sharpen. Hadn’t he endured enough? 

 

“I am serious. Wait, before you shower me with well deserved righteous indignation, I need you to hear me out. You can’t fall in battle, you now have a kingdom, I know this is my fault and not what you wanted. I never wanted to make you king, I just wanted to keep Anora from having us killed. You slayed Loghain and got your revenge for Duncan and the rest of the Wardens. By becoming king you get to be the one to make the right calls, look out for everyone. Everyone, we’ve seen hurt by the stupidity of politics and cruelty of past kings.” Ilyana dropped to her knees in defeat, Alistair’s chest tightened as he watched his love, his friend, show fragility he hadn’t seen since they left the carnage of Kinloch Hold.

 

“Yana-” he began.

 

“No, don’t bloody Yana me, right now. You can’t die, I don’t want to die, and I would rather you live and hate me for the rest of your days. Make me your enemy, blame me, I don’t care, but I will see you live to find a happier future than none at all.” Her volume increased as she spoke until the last phrase echoed off the walls leaving nothing but the crackling of the fire filling the laden silence.

 

A fury brewed in Alistair. He believed he would rather die than have to endure a night with Morrigan, he told himself. Seeing Ilyana beg made his mouth taste like acid. No one asked how he felt about anything, even now as king. He burned with the reality of that he wanted still didn’t matter. But, despite his feelings, he couldn’t ignore the truth of what she said, and as he tempered his growing rage, he didn’t want Ilyana to die. This was the last time, the last favor for her, he promised himself. 

 

“After tonight, you and I are done. Our friendship is finished, you’ve asked too much of me. I will see us live, but I will never see you the same again. You’ve pushed me around for the last time, and I won’t have it. I’m now the king. And you, you’re just another person who’s used me for their own ends. I thought you were different. I loved you, I believed you actually saw me for me.” After roaring his first phrases the heartbreak ripped open anew, he didn’t know how many times a single person could break his heart. 

 

“Alistair, I’m sorry.” Ilyana sobbed crying out to him as he jerked the door open. “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean for this-” He turned to look down to her sitting on the cold stone floor one last time.

 

“I’m sorry too.” He took a step and paused, “Please don’t be here when I return.”

  
  



End file.
